Broken Halo
by AshleyTrecartin
Summary: Daryl is trying to find Beth, when he gets into a fight with Joe's men, he finds her, and the state he finds her in does nothing to quell the anger rising inside of him. Now, just the two of them again, he has to do everything he can to mend her and prove to her that there still are good people out there. He needs to show her how much he really cares about her before he loses her.
1. Broken Halo

**I have not abandoned Apocalyptic Love, I just want that one to stay somewhat cannon, and since we haven't seen what's happened to Beth, or Daryl yet, I don't want to update it. So, hopefully this will tide you over until I can update it.**

* * *

Daryl followed Joe and his group back to the abandoned building they were calling home for now. He looked around and sighed. Holes in the walls, ceiling, rats running around. He'd rather be back at the morgue with Beth and dead bodies.

Beth…Daryl wasn't giving up his search for her in any way. He was going to find her, but right now, he wasn't any good to her. His legs were still burning from running all night. He was too damn weak. He needed food, water, and sleep, then as soon as he got the chance, he was going to sneak away. He knew Beth was still alive. He refused to believe anything else. She was strong, and she'd wait for him to come get her.

"Think fast." Joe threw a water bottle at him and despite being so exhausted Daryl caught it with ease. "We got an extra spot you can sleep in," he informed him, indicating to the empty sleeping bag. Daryl wasn't stupid enough to ask about the previous owner. Instead, he grabbed the sleeping bag and pulled it over to his own space.

Daryl drank half of the water bottle as he watched the men in the group. They all looked like they had fleas. While using his hunting knife to open an can of peaches he'd been saving for a long while now—he'd planned on giving them to Beth—he watched as Joe and two other men walked into a side room. _What are they hiding_? Daryl was about to get up to investigate, but Joe came back out and Daryl decided not to push his luck.

He climbed into the sleeping bag, his hand wrapped around his knife across his chest, his other hand on his crossbow. He may have come back to this shit hold of a base camp, but he was a long way from trusting anyone. He closed his eyes, hoping sleeping would drag him down instantly, but he wasn't that lucky. An image of Beth, sitting at the piano and singing came to him instead. His gut clenched as he thought about he. It was his fault she'd been taken. He should have followed her out of that damn window. He didn't know what he was thinking. Now, he didn't know where she was, all he knew was that he needed to find her.

He rolled onto his side and tried to push the picture of her from his head. In the morning he'd go hunting, get what he needed, and slip away without anyone noticing he was gone. He was going to find Beth, even if it was the last thing he did. Daryl wasn't a man of faith, and he wasn't stupid despite being a high school dropout. He knew there was something there between himself and Beth, but he wasn't about to call it love, not yet. He saw what that did to Glenn and Maggie. But, he knew Beth meant more to him than a friend, or a little sister. He was a sick son of a bitch if he ever acted on it, being nearly twice her age, but in the world they lived in now? Hell, age didn't matter two shits anymore.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting sleep drag him down, vowing that the next day he'd slip away from the group of men that had surrounded him and continue his search for Beth. And if she was hurt? Nothing was going to protect the sick sons of bitches who took her.

* * *

Beth hurt. He whole body was covered in bruises, cuts, and scrapes. It had been days since she'd seen Daryl—at least she thought it had been. Her sense of time had gotten so screwed up. She didn't even know if Daryl was still alive. All she knew was fear, pain, and desperation. The men who had kidnapped her had brought her back to the abandoned building they were calling home and had chained her to a pipe, given her a dirty mattress with broken springs to sleep on, and had cut away all of her clothes. They'd given her a threadbare blanket, but it didn't keep out the cold or the wet. She was always cold, always shaking, always hurting. She was afraid she was running a fever.

The heavy door opened, flooding the dark room with light, causing a broken whimper to fall from her lips. She coward in on herself, shivering and fearing what they would do to her next. Joe crouched in front of her with an evil smirk on his face as he looked her over. She'd given up trying to hide her body from him. "You're losing weight," he commented as nonchalantly as if he were discussing the weather. He reached out and patted her leg. "We'll have to bring you more food."

"W-why?" she managed with a dry throat. "You're just going to kill me."

Joe and the two men who'd entered the room with him laughed. "Kill you? Sweetheart, do you know how hard it is to find an attractive woman during this apocalypse? We're going to keep you around as long as we can." He stood up and looked at his men. "Do what you want, but remember, keep her quiet."

Beth didn't fight when they approached her. She didn't fight when they stuffed an old rag into her mouth. She didn't fight as their hands touched her body. She didn't fight as they spread her, impaled her, violated her. She didn't have any fight in her anymore. She wished they'd just kill her, it would be kinder. Sadly, she knew they weren't kind, and she knew Joe had told the truth, they would keep her around as long as they could, just so she could satisfy their needs. They would bring her food, and she would eat it. They would keep her hydrated, and they would keep her healthy enough to do what they wanted her to do and she wouldn't fight anymore.

Her only saving grace was that these men didn't seem to have any stamina. It was over quickly, and they would call her names, pull the rag from her mouth, and leave her alone in the dark. Except, today, one of them made a comment about some kind of initiation that was going to take place later, she figured they'd found someone else to join their group, and she was the initiation rite. Once the door slammed shut behind them she curled in on her side and let the tears fall from her eyes, keeping the sobs shaking her shoulders silent. She wanted Daryl; she wanted to be wrapped up in his arms, safe somewhere, alone. They'd only had that one night, but she knew that something between them had changed, and then she was ripped away from him. Her crying got harder as she thought about him and how much she missed him. Alone, in the dark, she sent up a silent prayer to a god she didn't think was listening anymore.

* * *

Daryl picked up the rabbit and pulled the arrow from its body. "I've been out here since before the sun came up." This dumb redneck was pissing him off.

"You see, the rules of the hunt…don't mean jack out here." Daryl rolled his eyes and threw the arrow into the woods. "Now, that rabbit you holdin' is claimed…boy." Daryl was starting to get pissed off. He wasn't a boy no more and this dumb ass was looking to get his ass kicked. "Claimed. Whether you like it or not. So, I is you, I'd hand it over. Now. Before you get to wishin' you never even got outta bed this moning."

"It ain't yours," Daryl growled looking him dead in the eyes. He'd had enough of this backwater fuck.

"You know, I bet…there's a bitch, got you all messed up." That froze Daryl in his tracks. He glanced back at him. "Hmm? Am I right?" Daryl reigned in his anger and started to leave again, but that stupid ass couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Got you walkin' around here like a dead man, who just lost his self a piece of tail. Must have been a good'n." This dumbass was pushing his luck. The loss of Beth was still fresh, and he still wanted to get away to find her.

_Fuck this idiot_. Daryl thought, his hand going to the knife on his hip and flipping open the strap holding it in place, his hand palming the cool metal. He was giving the dumb redneck one more chance. "Tell me somethin' was it one of the little uns? Cause they don't last too long out here." That was it. _No one_ talked about Beth that way. Daryl pulled the knife from its sheath and turned, swinging on the dumbass. What he didn't know was that they weren't alone. He was ambushed and tackled to the ground, three of Joe's men on top of him.

Daryl swore at them as they dragged him back, unarmed to the base camp. Joe was waiting for them with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. They threw Daryl into a circle, all of them surrounding him. Joe went on, talking some bullshit about rules. "Alright boys, let's initiate him." Joe stepped back as someone punched Daryl in the gut, he doubled over, the air forced out of his lungs.

He fought them off the best he could but when it was five against one, the odds weren't really in his favor. Before they were done, he had a few broken and bruised ribs, a busted lip, a black eye, and a few other bruises and cuts. He was kneeling on the ground, coughing and spitting up blood. "You're doin' good son," Joe said as he walked off. "We just have one more thing for you to do." His voice got louder the farther he got. Daryl heard a door open and then it was quiet. Daryl stood up on shaking legs, holding his side that had been kicked until his ribs broke. He looked over to the open door and watched Joe back out, his vision swam, running red as his heart stopped in his chest and his stomach wretched.

Joe was dragging Beth, naked, her hands tied together with a zip tie, and an old, dirty rag in her mouth to keep her quiet. Her body was covered in dirt, blood, bruises, cuts, and things Daryl didn't want to think about. She looked over at him and he nearly died. There was nothing left in those eyes. That fight that he loved about her, that kindness…it was all gone. Her eyes were just empty. She stared at him, and Daryl ran to her, pulling her into his arms.

"So you like this one?" Joe asked, smirking as he watched Daryl cut her hands free. "I'd be careful if I were you, she's a scratcher."

Daryl looked at her and slowly eased her down to the ground. Joe stood behind him. Daryl risked a glance over his shoulder. He was going to have to be quick. Fighting against the pain, Daryl spun on his heels and pulled Joe's gun from his holster and shot him in the dead. Without thinking about anything other than protecting Beth he started to pick off the others, one by one. They got smart quick and before he'd taken down most of them, they started firing on him, but they were shit shots. From Joe's dead body, Daryl pulled the knife and threw it, sinking it deep into the skull of another man as he shot the last two.

He was panting, the red in his vision starting to fade. "D-Daryl…" He grabbed the cleanest blanket he could find and dropped to his knees in front of her, wrapping it around her body. As soon as she was covered he picked her up and carried her over to his sleeping bag.

He didn't say a word to her, what could he say? He was sorry? What good would that do? It wouldn't erase what had happened to her. Hell, he couldn't even look her in the eye. He emptied his bag out onto the ground and started pulling out what medical supplies they had. "Not enough," he mumbled, mainly to himself. He got up and walked over to the dead men's bags, empting them and taking what he knew they would need, medical supplies, food, water, whatever they had. He'd check the bodies later.

Daryl knelt down in front of Beth again and started washing her body first, staying away from sensitive areas that would have her pulling away from him. He'd turn her back and let her handle that later. He carefully washed her legs, her arms, never straying too close. He washed her neck, her shoulders, her face. Without asking, she turned around, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders so he could wash her back. Once he had her somewhat clean, he handed her the rag he'd been using and started to turn. Beth reached out and grabbed his wrist, panic lining her blue diamond eyes. "Don't…please."

Daryl frowned. "I ain't goin' nowhere sweetheart, just, finishin washin' so I can take a look at you're wounds."

She looked down, reject in those eyes, but she nodded. Daryl turned his back, and he'd wished he'd left the room. He could hear her washing her body; he could hear the whimpers as she went over those sensitive areas that had been abused. It made him want to kill those fuckers all over again. When she told him she was done, he turned back around and knelt in front of her again.

He looked at her wrists first; they were raw and red from the ropes and zip ties that had been bound so tightly around them. He growled and looked around in the medical supplies. There wasn't much there that was going to help. He settled for just wrapping them, hoping to keep them clean. He then started cleaning the cuts on her arms and legs and shoulders. He put medicine on them and cut bandages from gauze. He found some salve to put on her busted lip and he frowned as she winced. "I'm sorry baby girl," he whispered, looking her over to see if there was anything else he could do for her.

Seeing that there wasn't anything else he could really do for her, Daryl stood again. "I'm gonna see if I can find you clothes." He started looking around. It didn't surprise him that there wasn't anything in her size or any girl clothes at all. He found something in the smallest man's bag and brought it back to her. It wasn't going to be flattering, but at least she could cover up until they could find some more clothes. He brought the sweat pants and hoddie back to her and turned his back again as she dressed. He heard the whimpers she tried to swallow as she stood and lifted her legs.

He wasn't expecting it, so when her tiny arms wrapped around his back, he jumped. "I'm sorry, I just…" He turned around and pulled her against him, holding her close. She didn't need to be explaining herself to him. He held her for a long time, and didn't care that she needed it, because honestly, he needed it too.

"C'mon, let's get you outta here." Daryl packed up his bag with everything he could fit in it, grabbed everything he could off the dead men, and scooped Beth up into his arms. There was no way she was in any condition to walk. He carried her out and gently put her in the car. He drove away and followed road signs to a town. As soon as he came across a store that sold women's clothes, he parked. "Stay here; I'm gonna go clear it." He grabbed his crossbow and walked up to the doors, opening them and looking around. Once he'd cleared it, he went back to the car and gently picked Beth up, and took her inside. "You see somethin' you want, you let me know," he told her as he carried her around the clothes.

He stopped when she told him to, held her while she looked through the clothes she liked, looking for her size. When they got to the bras and panties, Daryl hid the blush on his face under his long hair and tried not to pay too close attention, but when she picked up a sexy red number with black lace…his heart skipped a beat and a heat he hadn't felt in a while stirred inside of him. _Get a hold of yourself Dixon, the damn girl's just been raped_. Once she had everything she wanted he carried her to the dressing rooms and gently set her down. "I'll be right outside."

He walked out of the room and left Beth to change in peace, without his eyes. He was trying to prepare himself for what was going to happen. He'd never had to deal with a woman who'd been raped before, tears made him uncomfortable, but…this was Beth. He wanted her to feel safe; he wanted to see that smile on her face again. He was just afraid how long he was going to have to wait until he saw it again under her broken halo.


	2. Holy Water

Holy Water

Daryl pounded a few more nails into the door, making sure it would stay shut. He'd already boarded up all of the windows. The front door they left alone just pushed a couch in front of it. They were going to need a quick escape route and they couldn't be dealing with pulling boards out of the damn wall. Wiping the back of his arm across his sweaty forehead he looked over his shoulder. Beth was sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, staring at the floor. Ever since he'd brought her back to the morgue she hadn't said a word, hadn't left his side. She was eating, but not nearly enough, just enough to keep her going. He'd yet to see that smile on her face again and he was afraid she wasn't sleeping enough. The few times he'd caught her sleeping in the past week since he'd saved her she hadn't been out more than ten minutes before she started screaming and thrashing in her sleep, screaming his name. He'd shaker her awake and hold her while she cried and shook, waiting until she calmed down.

He was at his wit's end. He didn't know what to do to help her. He wasn't a damn therapist, hell; he didn't know much about women, he'd never spent a lot of time with them. Sure there had been plenty of women at the prison, but he'd kept his distance. He wanted to do something to help her, but he didn't know what he could do.

"Hungry?" he asked, setting the hammer down and crouching in front of her. She shook her head, refusing to look at him. Daryl sighed and scoped her up in his arms. She gasped, but he ignored her as her carried her to the kitchen. "You're too damn skinny Beth, you need to eat." He carried her through the door and was instantly assaulted with the memory of him doing the exact same thing not two weeks earlier, except…that time she'd been happy. Daryl put her down in the same chair and started to put food out. "We can't stay here forever; you need to be ready to leave."

He sat beside her and started to make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He eyed her as he put it together. She was curled up in the chair, still hugging her knees and staring into the empty space. He pushed the sandwich towards her and made one for himself. He never really did like the things much, but he'd eaten all of the pigs feet, and he was hoping that if he ate one, Beth would follow his example. He watched her pick at the sandwich, eating a small piece at a time. Her appetite had changed dramatically. He used to be amazed that she could eat two squirrels—by herself—in one sitting and still not put much weight on. Now…she barely ate and when he caught a glimpse of her changing earlier that morning he'd been able to count every single one of her vertebrate along her spine. She wasn't going to survive the winter if she didn't put some weight on.

Thankfully she ate the whole thing and managed to drink two glasses of the diet soda. Unfortunately, she suddenly got up from the table and ran to the sink, throwing it all back up. He walked over and rubbed her back as she gripped the edge of the sink, her knuckles going white, tears leaking from her eyes. Daryl sighed as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Her shoulders shook as she just broke down. She turned into his chest, gripping his shirt as she cried. He did the only thing he could. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. He wished he knew what to do, but he had no clue what she needed right now.

He bent his head and rested his chin on hers and regretted it immediately. The pilot light was still working in this place and she'd had a bath recently. She smelt like vanilla and honeydew. He was instantly aware of all of her soft, giving curves pressing tightly against his body and he realized just how long it had been since he'd held a woman. _For fuck's sake Dixon,_ he tried to get his body under control before she could feel how he was reacting to her. He wanted her, _god_ did he want her, but now was not the time. He didn't know if the time would ever be right again, not after what she'd been through. He remembered how long it took Maggie to get through what the Governor had done to her and she'd only been naked, no one had touched her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his shirt.

"Ain't your fault sweetheart," he told her. She looked up at him and he shook his head. "It's not." She nodded then yawned. "Let's go to bed." Daryl followed her to the bedroom she'd used the last time while he'd slept in the coffin. There was none of that anymore. She wouldn't let him more than three feet from her at any one point. He knew it wasn't right, and it probably wasn't helping her situation at all, but she wanted him _in bed_ with her, and right now, he couldn't deny her anything she asked.

Beth kicked her shoes off and climbed under the blankets, making room for him. Daryl rested his crossbow against the nightstand and kicked off his own boots before he followed her in. As soon as he was comfortable on his back, his arms above his head, Beth curled her body against his and pulled the covers up over them. He wrapped one of his arms around her, lightly playing with her hair as she rested her head on his chest. He tried to block out the feel of her body against his, tried to ignore the smell coming off of her, tried to ignore his body's reactions. _Dixon, you're one fucked son of a bitch_.

**Sorry this is so short, but I wanted to get something up. The next chapter will be in Beth's pov, and it's probably going to be dark, just a warning.**


	3. Take Me Away

Empty. Hollow. Broken. That's what she felt like. Daryl was doing his best to cope with her nearly catatonic condition and she appreciated it, she really did. She just…didn't know what else to feel like. She'd seen what Maggie had been like after coming back from Woodberry after the Governor had made her take off her shirt and bra. But this was…worse. She felt bad comparing herself with Maggie, especially since she knew Maggie had been put through hell. It wasn't fair to her sister to belittle what she'd been through. She knew that. She also felt bad about being such a burden to Daryl. He was trying his best, he really was, and she knew that, but she couldn't help herself.

Every time Daryl wasn't within her sigh her chest closed up, she couldn't breathe, and a panic settled over her like a wet blanket, clinging to her skin and making her body freeze up. Every time he mentioned leaving the safety of the cabin she would start shaking as fear claimed her mind and soul. She was trying to be strong. Maybe if they weren't stuck in the zombie apocalypse things could be different. She could lock herself in her room and cry if she needed to. She could skip meals until the thought of food didn't even appeal to her anymore. But she didn't have that luxury right now. She had to stay strong, she had to survive. _We don't get to get upset._ Her own words echoed louder and louder in her head every day. She was trying, she really was.

She walked into the kitchen where Daryl was packing up their things and what remaining food they had left. They were leaving today, he wanted to get as far away from this place as he could, and she had to agree with him. Staying here, being this close to where everything went bad, it only made things harder for her. She turned away from him and walked back to the piano. It was a shame that it would probably never be played again. She sat down at the bench and lifted the cover off the keys, her fingers lightly dragging over the smooth white spruce. Without thinking she mindlessly started playing. It was a slow, soft, sad tune, it matched her mood perfectly, and as the thunder rumbled overhead, she thought maybe the universe was sympathizing with her as well.

"Son of a bitch!" Beth jumped hearing Daryl swear from the kitchen. Fear and panic started to wrap around her like the mist in a fog and blindly she pulled her knife from its sheathe and ran to the kitchen. He was staring out of the window as the rain poured down harder than it had in a long time. He threw the cup he'd been using against the wall, the china shattering as it made contact with the drywall. Beth couldn't stop the whimper that left her lips as she flinched and curled in on herself, her arms wrapping around her body. Daryl spun and looked at her, his face turning horrified. "Shit, Beth…"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, trying to fight the tears that were already starting to leak from her eyes. She hated looking so weak, so vulnerable in front of him. If there was anyone in the world she wanted to be strong for, it was him. She clung to his shirt when his arms wrapped around her and pulled her close to his body. He held her, let her cry into his chest, rubbed her back. He was getting better at the consoling, but that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to get over this, to be strong and the more she thought about it, the angrier she got until she shoved him away. "No!"

He looked at her, confusion lining his blue eyes. "Beth, I ain't gonna hurt you," he said, easing towards her again.

"I know that!" she snapped, her fingers tangling in her hair and pulling as she started to pace. She groaned out in frustration and slammed her fist down on the table. "I need to be stronger than this," she was talking mainly to herself at this point. "I can't keep moping around like a bird with a broken wing!" Her breathing was labored and her knees felt weak. She should have known better, she wasn't sleeping and she wasn't eating enough for an emotional outburst like this. Daryl caught her as she rocked back on her feet, the dizziness causing her to stumble back.

"Ain't like ya got a choice," he mumbled, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her upstairs. He laid her out in the bed but as he pulled way Beth gripped his shirt.

"I need you to do something for me," she whispered. He looked at her, waiting for whatever she was about to say. She wasn't sure she could get it out. She pulled herself up onto her knees and licked her lips. Nerves were flooding through her like a wild fire and her stomach clenched with fear. She was about to do something potentially stupid, she didn't even know if it would help, or if Daryl would even help her with it. Without waiting for her mind to change, or for her nerves to get the better of her, she gripped his vest and pulled him close, sealing her lips over his. She felt him tense under her and flinched at the fear of rejection as he pulled away from her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He backed up as far as he could, until his back hit the wall.

She felt the tears pricking her eyes and a sob shook her body. "Daryl, please, I need to feel something other than fear. I need…I need someone who cares about me to hold me and show me what it's mean to feel like." Her eyes were shut tight. She couldn't bear to look at him. "I need to feel like someone actually gives a damn."

She jumped when she felt Daryl's hands on her face, wiping away the tears. "Are you sure this'll help?"

Beth shook her head. "I don't know, but…at least it's something."

With a sigh Daryl nodded his head. "Alright," he whispered, leaning in. Beth's eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her. It was different than it had been with Jimmy or Zach. It made butterflies flutter in her stomach as a warm heat spread through her. It made her nerves dance like flames in the wind. His big hands on her face made her feel safe as his lips danced across hers. It was soft, sweet, and Beth wanted to hope that was passion she was feeling, but she wasn't going to read too much into it. He was doing this to help her, not because they loved each other. Love was for a world they didn't live in anymore. It wasn't like she thought kissing Daryl would feel like. She thought he'd be rough, but he was the opposite, gentle, sweet, caring.

His hands slowly slipped from her face down to her neck, then her shoulders, moving past her arms to her hips, holding her to him as she knelt on the bed. He pressed closer, kissing her all the while as he eased her down onto the bed, slowly lying beside her. He was trying not to freak her out, and for that, Beth was thankful. He was taking things slow, keeping his touches light, giving her every opportunity to stop him if she wanted. But she didn't want him to stop. She wanted to feel something other than fear, and as their lungs burned for air, and Daryl moved his lips from hers, down across her neck, his scruff lightly scratching her in a delicious way, she was feeling much more than fear.

Arousal started to spike within her and she arched under his hand as it slowly eased its way down her side to her hip, pulling her tighter against him. Beth wrapped her arms around his neck, gently pulling until he was hovering over her. Daryl stared down at her, his weight braced on his legs as he straddled her waist. He kept eye contact with her as his hands went to her shirt, gently, slowly pushing it up her body. A light blush covered her face as he pulled it off of her. Her first instinct was to hide her body, but she took a deep breath and pushed the fear away, hiding it. She needed to stay in this moment with Daryl. She couldn't think about what had happened to her. He was going to wash it away. As he reached around behind her to unlatch her bra and draw the straps down her arms before pulling it off and dropping it on the floor with her shirt, his eyes never left hers. It made her feel safe, she felt like she could trust him. He moved slowly still, his hands asking for permission as they slowly eased up her ribcage to just under her breasts.

She didn't want to risk speaking. Not in this moment when touch meant so much more than word ever would. She gave her permission by arching into his hands, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to kiss him again. He read her like a book or well-seasoned lover and gently cupped her breasts in his hands. Beth moaned, her body reacting to his touch, arching into his big palms as they encompassed her skin. She was hot and needy; she needed more of his touch. His lips danced down her jawline to her neck and to her collar bone.

Beth gasped when she felt his teeth nip lightly at her skin, her body arched under his when he lightly pinched her nipples, drawing them to hard peaks. "Daryl," she whispered. He was driving her crazy. Nothing she was feeling felt like it had when she'd been held prisoner, it felt different, better.

He looked up at her, freezing and tensing up. "Do you need me to stop?"

Beth's heart melted at the concern in his eyes. He was doing everything he could for her, everything she asked. She shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "No, I need more."

He nodded his head, and she didn't miss the like smirk on his face as he bowed his head, his long dark chair covering his eyes as his lips wrapped around one of her nipples. Her back bowed as pleasure shot through her, fanning the flames of her pleasure to near intolerable levels. She ground her hips against his. She needed more, her body was screaming for more. She heard him groan above her, his hips pressing back into hers. Beth felt the hard length of him through their jeans and fear shot through her like a bullet.

She tensed up, a cold settling in over her. Daryl froze above her, immediately pulling his hips away from hers and lying beside her instead of on top of her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I-I'm fine," she lied.

And Daryl called her on it. "Bullshit," he moved back, stopped touching her completely. "Talk to me Beth, I can't help ya if ya don't."

She bit her lip. "Just…I felt you pressin' against me and it made me remember…" She refused to cry. "I don't want you to stop just…go slow and don't stop."

He sighed, but nodded his head. Slowly he straddled her waist again and kissed her breastbone, slowly kissing lower. It tickled, but in a good way, as he kissed his way down her belly. Beth gasped and arched when he dipped his tongue into her bellybutton and her hands shot to his hair, tangling in the mess. She felt the pressure of her jeans loosen as he popped the button from the fly and eased the zipper down, dragging his knuckles down her skin. The head flared inside of her again taking over the fear and the pain.

Beth lifted her hips for him as he slowly pulled her jeans and panties down her long legs, pulling her socks off with them when he got to her ankles. A blush settled over her face and she wasn't sure why. Daryl had seen her naked before, but this was…different. She wasn't bound and gagged. He was kissing his way up from his ankle to her inner thigh and she desperately wished she'd saved the few disposable razors they'd found on a run. With a gentle force he pushed her thighs apart and settled his weight between her legs, wrapping his arms around her hips. She knew what he was about to do, but she'd never had a man do it, she was nervous, but when she thought about it, she was nervous in a good way.

The first swipe of his tongue was expected, but it still made her jump, her body rolling into his mouth as it passed over her swollen clit and a lustful moan escaped her lips as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. White hot pleasure shot through her like lightning, igniting every nerve ending in her body and her head swam. Daryl moaned and the vibrations traveled right up her spine and nailed her in the back of her head.

"You've gotta be the sweetest damn thing left on this planet," he mumbled, looking up at her through those thick lashes and shaggy hair. Beth's stomach flip-flopped and bit her lip. That had to be the sexiest damn thing she'd ever seen. He dipped his head again and Beth got lost in the pleasure he was giving her. She could feel the tight coil tightening in her belly with her impending orgasm. He lapped at her slowly at first, but he picked up the pace, dragging his tongue from her clenching opening, begging for something to fill it, up to her clit, curving his tongue to flick it on every pass, faster and faster.

The further he pushed her towards her orgasm the tighter she pulled on his hair, her legs tightening around his shoulders, her body rolling into the rhythm and pace he set. She was nearly there, her legs shaking with the force of the orgasm that was barreling down on her. "Come for me, sweetheart," Daryl ordered and the low octave and rough edge of his voice sent her crashing over the edge. Beth cried out as she contracted around empty space, her back arched off the bed, her muscles shook, and her fingers tightened so tightly in his hair she was worried about pulling it out for a split second.

He kept licking at her, slowly, softly, until she came down from the high. As she tried to get her breathing under control he slowly kissed his way back up her stomach, between her breasts, across her collar bone to her neck and up to her ear. He was panting nearly as hard as she was. Beth opened her eyes and looked at him. Daryl's eyes were dark, glazed over with lust for her. "How was that?" he asked, the back of his knuckles lightly skimming over her arm, giving her goose bumps.

"Perfect," she answered, her arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a kiss. She tasted herself on him and thought it was sexy as hell. She moaned into his mouth, her hands going to his shirt and pushing it, and his vest off his shoulders, but he stopped her. "Daryl, please I—"

He shushed her. "Don't worry, I'm not done with you," he whispered against her lips. "But the shirt stays on." He released her wrists and started unbuttoning his jeans, kicking them and his boxers and socks off. Beth risked a glance down at him and bit her lip. None of the men at the camp had been that big, neither had Jimmy or Zach. She was momentarily worried he wouldn't fit without tearing her apart. "Ready?" Beth nodded her head and wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands skimming up under his shirt, feeling all lean muscles contracting and jumping under her touch.

Daryl slowly started to ease into her and god, it had been too damn long for Beth since a man had held her like this; since someone had loved her the way he was. He was so gentle with her, so loving. Nothing like she thought it was going to be. She expected him to be rough, but this was so much better, this is what she needed. Once he was seated fully inside of her, he waited, giving her body time to adjust to the new intrusion, but she didn't need much time, he'd worked her up to a near frenzy.

The rhythm he set was slow, at first; it was just a gentle rocking of his hips while his lips kissed a hot trail up and down her neck. Beth moved her hips with him, rocking her body with his. But, she knew as well as he did it wouldn't last. It'd been too long for both of them, neither one of them was going to last long, and that was okay with her. "You're so damn tight," he whispered in her ear. Beth pushed away the memories of the men at the camp telling her that, she refused to go back there, she stayed in this moment with him, her arms and legs wrapping tighter around him, her eyes shutting tight.

The moment she knew things picked up was when Daryl pulled nearly all the way out of her before slamming back in. His pace quickened and his breathing picked up. Beth moaned, cried out his name, throwing her head back as the pleasure intensified inside of her. He lowered his weight from his hands so he was nearly lying on top of her, his arms wrapped around her, one around her waist, the other around her upper back, holding her close to him. Beth realized he wasn't just having sex with her; he was making love to her.

Emotions swamped her faster than she could process them and tears stung her eyes. Her fingers dug into the angle wings on the back of his vest as he warned her that he was going to come. She cried out as another orgasm hit her, exploding with brilliant colors behind her shut eyes and the tears that leaked down her face. Daryl, panting, sweating, fell down beside her so he didn't crush her with his weight and pulled her into him, rubbing her back as she couldn't fight the emotions anymore and cried. She knew he thought it was because of the memories, because of what she'd been through, but she was too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to correct him. She curled into his body, holding onto him. Sleep was tugging at her, cloaking her in darkness as the exhaustion won over. "I love you," she whispered out before slipping into the black.


	4. Take Me Farther

**Before the story I would just like to thank everyone who has followed this, added it to their favorites, and left reviews. I love waking up in the morning after posting a chapter and having 50 emails from you guys. I honestly do. It makes me smile and makes my whole day so much better. Hopefully you will continue to like what I do. **

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Take Me Farther

The loud, house shaking crash of thunder pulled Beth from sleep with a cry of fear. She was drenched in sweat and panting from the nightmare she'd been having. It was still storming, so they weren't going anywhere today. Beth looked for Daryl, but he'd already gotten dressed and left. She frowned but slipped out of the bed and got dressed. She really shouldn't be surprised he wasn't there. Daryl wasn't the kind of guy to cuddle. Still, it would have been nice. Beth walked into the kitchen, expecting to find Daryl eating what was left of the pigs feet but he wasn't there. He'd left her a not with a simple two work sentence scratched on it. _Went hunting_. She sighed to herself and turned to the cupboards looking for something to eat. They didn't have much food left. They'd have to leave tomorrow, weather it was raining or not.

She tried to ignore the fear creeping up her spine at the thought of being alone. She had no idea how long Daryl had been gone, or when he would be back. The quietness around the house settled in on her as she sat at the table to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She felt like the walls were closing in on her the longer she sat there in the quiet all alone. Anxiety started to kick in and she tried to push it to the back of her head, but when a loud clap of thunder sounded in the dark skies above and the windows shoot with a near shattering force she screamed and jumped from the seat.

She couldn't stay in the house any longer, not alone. She grabbed her gun from the counter and double checked to make sure her knife was still secured to her jeans before she tore out of the front door. She tried to remember the one tracking lesson Daryl had given her as she searched the ground for the direction he'd gone. She could faintly see some tracks, she hoped they were his, and followed them into the woods. She wasn't stupid enough to call out for him; that would just attract walkers and could possibly get them both killed. She kept her eyes on his tracks as the rain poured down on her, quickly soaking through her clothes as a severe cold set into her body and thunder and lightning battled in the sky.

The longer she stumbled through the forest, the worse her anxiety got until she was having a near panic attack. Her chest hurt and her breathing was coming in labored pants as sweat mingled with rain water on her skin. Beth followed the tracks deep into the woods where the moss was overgrown. She rounded a tree, following the footprints, when they disappeared. "Shit," she spun around in circles, thinking maybe she'd just overlooked, but no, they were gone, washed away by the rain. The panicked fear took over and became crippling. Beth shook as she hit her knees, wrapping her arms around her body as if she could physically hold herself together.

She felt numb to everything but the fear that soaked through her body with the rain that fell from the sky. She shouldn't have left the house, but being alone was so much worse. She knew she needed to get up and go back, she needed to get back inside the house, get dry and warm, but she couldn't get her legs to move. She huddled against the tree and hugged her knees, rocking as the fear consumed her, pulling her into a dark spiral. She knew she needed to calm down, she need to get her emotions under control, if she didn't, she was going to have another episode like she'd had when Shane had opened up the barn on her daddy's farm. She tried to take deep breaths, tried to calm her body, but it wasn't listening to her. Her lungs weren't working right, they wouldn't let her draw in a deep breath, every time she tried, she choked. It felt like the world was closing in, shrinking around her, suffocating her.

Beth moved her hands to her hair and gripped tightly, pulling on the wet blonde strands until the pain started to take over the place of the fear and the anxiety. She dropped her hands to her arms and dug her nails into her flesh, digging them in, fighting through the fear and anxiety as the pain started to push it away.

"Beth?" Her head shot up. Daryl was standing there, crossbow raised, looking around for walkers, his hair and clothes wet, clinging to his skin as he looked down at her. "What the hell are you doing?"

Beth shook her head and let her hands fall from her arms as her emotions started to settle back into control. "I…I just…I couldn't be alone." Daryl sighed and knelt in front of her, throwing his crossbow onto his back before he picked her up in his arms. She kept her eyes on her lap, embarrassment taking over the place of the fear and winning over the anxiety that had choked her. She should have been able to hold herself together better than that. She should have stayed in the damn house. The more she thought about how weak she was and how emotional she was the more the embarrassment was replaced with anger. By the time Daryl carried her up the porch steps to the door of the house she was fuming. He put her down on the porch so he could open the door. She pushed past him, throwing her gun onto the table in the kitchen and started pacing back and forth.

Without thinking she pulled her knife from the sheathe and slammed it down into the middle of the table with a cry of anger. Her body was shaking with it. She pulled the knife out and slammed it back down again. Over and over she slammed the knife into the table until her muscled burned and ached. A hand gently fell onto her shoulder and Beth jumped, too in the zone to realize it was Daryl. She spun with the knife raised, ready to plunge it into the skull of a walker. "Whoa there princess," Daryl said, grabbing her wrist and stopping her. Beth seemed to come back into herself at that moment. She stared up into his eyes as he held her. The knife fell from her hand and clattered to the floor as the emotions swamped her, but she refused to cry. She blinked back the tears and went limp in Daryl's arms. "You wanna tell me what's going on?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I saw your note, and I tried, but…I started to get scared, and I felt like I couldn't breathe, so I went looking for you." Beth refused to look at him. "I know it was stupid, I get that, I should have stayed I just…panicked."

Daryl sighed and released her wrist, letting her arm fall to her side. "Did ya eat?" he asked.

Beth looked at the sandwich on the table that she'd left. "I started to."

He moved to the sink and pulled out a rabbit he'd shot. "I'll get this cleaned and we can eat." He pulled his knife out and started to cut and peel back the fur. Beth frowned and looked at him. Daryl glanced at her and caught her look. "I came back, saw that you were gone," he explained, answering her unanswered question. Beth nodded and shuddered as the cold sank into her, freezing her. "You should go change," Daryl muttered.

Beth walked over to him, putting a hand on his arm. "You're soaking wet too," she whispered. He grunted and shrugged his shoulders. "Daryl." He sighed and put the knife down looking at her. She took his hand and he let her guide him to the bedroom where they were keeping their packs. Beth went to her bag and started to pull things out as Daryl pulled his vest and shirt off. She frowned as she dumped her bag out on the bed and looked at everything. "Damn it," she swore.

"What?" Daryl asked, looking over at her.

Emotionally exhausted, Beth fell onto her ass on the bed. "I don't have any more clothes." She frowned as she looked at Daryl. He'd taken his shirts off, unbuckled his belt, and unbuttoned his jeans. She unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of all that naked, toned, still wet muscle and skin. Heat pooled inside of her as she stared at him.

"Guess you'll have to go without till they dry then." Beth shook her head. She was sure she'd heard him wrong. She looked at him, the question in her eyes. "Ain't got anymore either," he answered. He toed off his boots and wet socks before pushing his jeans down his legs. She blushed and looked away, her eyes hitting the floor.

_What is my problem, we had sex last night, Daryl in his boxers should not be that big of a deal._ She stood and, with shaking hands, started to pull her wet shirt off. Shaking fingers went to her jeans to unbutton and remove them, but she stopped when she felt Daryl's big hands on her shoulders. She bit her lip as they slid down her arms to her elbows, then back up, slowly. He pushed her hair off of her neck and she felt his hot breath reach out to tickle her skin causing her to shiver. "Daryl," she whispered.

"You're like ice," he whispered, his lips dancing across her skin. Beth bit her lip as his hands went to her bra and unclasped it, letting it fall off of her shoulders and to the floor. "Need to warm ya up." She felt his hands cover her breasts and she moaned, arching into his hands. Daryl kissed her neck, his lips leaving hot, wet, opened mouth kisses along her skin as his beard prickled lightly, scratching her in the best way possible. A shaky moan left her lips as his hands dropped from her breasts to her jeans and he pulled them open with such force he nearly ripped the button off.

Daryl kissed his way down her back as he pressed her forward so she was leaning over the bed and he dropped to his knees behind her. She bit her lip, shutting her eyes tightly as she felt his fingers hook in the waistband of her jeans and panties before he pulled them down her legs, pulling them off with her boots and socks when he reached her ankles. She felt the hot blush on her face as he nudged her legs further apart. His big hands skimmed up the backs of her legs, the callouses rough against her skin in the most delicious way. He kissed her inner thigh before he put his mouth to her and Beth bit her lip, gripping the sheets on the bed as he tongued her with long passes of his sinful tongue.

Her back bowed when he drew her clit into his mouth and sucked on it. Beth reached up for a pillow but just pulled sheets back with her. She bit down on them as he ignited a fire inside of her. She gasped when he slapped her ass, the sound cracking off the walls as the thunder rolled over head. "Don't you dare," he warned. Beth looked over her shoulder at him, staring into those eyes as dark as the storm raging outside. "I want to hear ya."

Beth dropped the sheets and nodded her head, licking her lips. It had to be illegal to be that sexy. She moaned, long and loud as he slipped two of his fingers into her slick passage, her muscles convulsing around him as he pumped them slowly, gently bringing her to the edge of bliss. She didn't realize she was rocking her hips in time with his thrusts. "Daryl," she cried out, so close she hurt with the ache.

"Come for me sweetheart, right now," he commanded and Beth didn't have it in her to deny him. The orgasm attacked her with claws and teeth, ripping its way through her in the most delicious way that stole her breath and left her weak and boneless on the bed. Daryl kissed up her back as he crawled over her. He pushed her up on the bed so she was centered on it and pulled her hips into the air. Beth bit her lip, she wasn't sure she could take anymore, he had a way of making everything so intense it rocked her body with sensations she couldn't remember feeling.

She felt the rustling behind her and fear shot through her like a bullet, rocking her body and sending a paralysis through her when she felt his hands on her hips. "It's okay, it's still me," he whispered, dropping feather light kisses to her shoulder as he covered her. Hearing his voice helped push the fear away.

"K-keep talking," she rasped out, dragging oxygen into her starving lungs.

"What do ya want me to say?"

"Anything, just talk."

"Okay princess." Daryl grounds his hips against her and she gasped, feeling his hot, thick length pressing against her. She mewled and pressed back against him. "You want me?" he asked. Beth whined and nodded her head, pushing against him. Now he was just teasing her. "Yeah, I know you do," he whispered. "You're fucking soaking, dripping onto the sheets." She gasped as he started to push inside of her. "Fucking tight too," he ground out as he seated himself inside of her.

"You could talk a woman to orgasm," she said with a breathy moan as he slowly rocked inside of her.

Daryl chuckled darkly above her. "That so?" He eased back into her and had to grip the sheets just to make sure she was still there. He did wonderful things to her body. "Might have to try that one night." Beth rolled her hips as he pushed back into her, staring to pick up the pace. "You're too good for me," he whispered kissing her shoulder. His hands reached around her body and cupped her breasts. She pressed herself into him, needing more. She felt her second orgasm barreling down on her, for some reason it didn't take long with Daryl, he knew how to work her body like his crossbow. Daryl groaned as she started to contract around him. "You're gonna come for me, ain't ya?" He chuckled in her ear, slamming deep inside of her. "Yeah, you're gonna come for Daryl."

Beth got a naughty idea and bit her lip, pressing back against him and moaned. "Y-yes Mr. Dixon."

Daryl groaned and gripped her hips with bruising force and slammed into her, his pace picking up. "Oh fuck, Beth," he growled, reaching down and rubbing her clit. Beth cried out as her orgasm hitting her hard enough to make stars dance in her eyes. Daryl groaned and collapsed on top of her, quickly rolling off of her and pulling her into him. Beth rested against him as she caught her breath. She'd had regrets in the morning when she woke up, but now, maybe things were going to be better. At least she hoped so.

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**Things are going to progress in the next chapter when Beth and Daryl have to face their feelings for each other and the events that have taken place between them so far. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten that she said the L word and he never responded.**


	5. Someone to Call Her Angel

Someone to Call Her Angel

The rain had finally stopped and the sun was streaming through the window bathing Beth's body in a heavenly light. Daryl might not be the most romantic man left in the world, but he did know how to appreciate a woman's body. He really didn't want to get out of bed the hardwood floors were going to send the freezing chill deeper into his body than it already was. Not to mention he had a pretty painful hard-on and he wanted nothing more than to wake Beth with kisses and playful touches, but he couldn't let that happen again, ever. Sighing deeply, he slipped from the covers and shivers as the cold seeped into him and walked across the room and quickly pulled his shirt on before Beth could wake up and see his back. That was the last thing he wanted, there was no reason that angel needed to see all of that hell.

He didn't bother pulling all of his clothes on. Beth needed to sleep so he wasn't going to rush her out of the door. He still has the car he'd taken from Joe, so finding a camp wasn't a problem anymore. They were going to need to find more gas soon though. Daryl stretched and grabbed his crossbow, going to the door. "Daryl?" He froze with one foot out of the door. He looked at her over his shoulder and had to bite his lip. She was leaning up on her elbows and the sheets had fallen around her waist, giving him a beautiful view of her perfect breasts. Her pale hair was falling around her shoulders in tangles he just knew she would try to work out.

"You should sleep some more," he grunted, finally able to take his eyes off of her. "We'll leave later." He walked out before she could protest and try to get him to stay. If he stayed any longer he was going to crawl right back into that bed with her. He went straight to the kitchen and started pulling what was left of the food off the shelves and laying it out on the table. He was going to have to look around to find another bag, they couldn't fit all of this in the two they had, and they had to take it all with them.

He heard Beth come into the kitchen and gritted his teeth. He wasn't ready to face her yet. She should have just gone back to sleep. "We need another bag," he mumbled when she stood next to him. She didn't say a word to him, wouldn't even look at him, she pulled her knife out, just in case, and he watched her leave the room to go downstairs and start looking. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _You're a real piece of work Dixon_.

xXx

Beth slowly crept down the stairs, shining her flashlight around. There were dead walkers all over the place, but she didn't miss the few live ones buried under the dead. She squared her shoulders and walked over to them. As soon as they caught her sent they all started to go crazy, trying to reach out and grab her. One by one, Beth moved to each one and stabbed it in the skull, eliminating the threat. Once the walkers were quiet, she started to look through the cupboards for something they could use to transport the food in. She figured there had to be a medical bag of some sort in the house, and it gave her something to do other than wallow in self-pity. It kept her mind busy, so she couldn't think about Daryl and how cold he was acting towards her. Although, just giving her hands something to do and not her brain was proving to be no help.

She replayed the last two days in her head. He didn't seem being close to her when they were naked in a bed together, so why was he so distant during the day? It didn't make sense. Daryl wasn't the kind to use a woman…at least, Beth didn't think so. She realized with a shock that she didn't really know that much about Daryl. Sure, they'd spent all that time at the prison together, and there had been that one night after they'd gotten drunk off moonshine, but that wasn't enough. Usually, after spending the amount of time with a person that she'd spent with Daryl since he walked onto their farm she'd know just about everything there was to know about a person.

But Daryl, Daryl was different. He was a closed person by nature, the life he'd lived had taught him to be that way, not to show his emotions, not to let people get too close, not to get too close to other people. Maybe he really was the kind of man to use women. That revelation sent an anxiety through her that had her shaking and regretting every moment from the past two days. She'd known it wasn't the best idea to ask Daryl to sleep with her the first time, but last night, last night had been all him. She could have told him no and he would have backed off, she didn't doubt that for a second. But she'd gone along with it, because if she was being honest to herself, she'd wanted it too. He made her feel something other than the anxiety and fear that was draped around her like a wet blanket. But, now that it seemed like he didn't want anything to do with her she didn't know what to do.

She found a few empty bags and put them on the counter, taking another minute to fill one of them with all of the medical supplies she could find in the cupboards before heading back upstairs. Daryl was pulling the last of the food out of the cupboard and laying it on the table. "Here," she mumbled, dropping the bags onto the table. She didn't wait for him to thank her, not that she was expecting him to. Instead, she went back to the bedroom and cleared the rest of their things, bringing it back to the kitchen. Daryl already had the food loaded up.

"We could stay here a bit," he mumbled as she started to put some extra knives into her bag.

She rolled her eyes. "What's the point?" She threw her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the medical bag. He could handle the heavy lifting; they were just going to the car. "Let's just go." She didn't wait for him to answer; she walked out of the door and headed to the car he'd taken from Joe. The same car they'd used to kidnap her in. She thought she'd be fine, but the closer she got to the car, the worse her anxiety got. Her hand was shaking as she reached out to the handle of the back seat door. She swallowed thickly and wrapped her hand around it, pulling it open. It was stupid, she knew it was. She was getting in willingly, with Daryl, but she couldn't fight the anxiety that was racing through her.

Quickly she threw the bags in the back and climbed into the front seat, shutting her eyes tightly and taking deep breaths through her nose, trying to fight off the panic attack she could feel creeping up on her. She refused to breakdown in front of Daryl again. She was sick of being weak and needing protection and codling. She needed to be like Maggie and Michonne. She heard Daryl get in and start the car. The engine roared to life and she flinched back into the seat. "You okay?" Beth nodded her head, refusing to open her eyes to look at him, or out of the window. He grunted but didn't press the matter as he drove off.

xXx

When they pulled over for the night Beth thought she had a pretty good handle on her emotions. She'd made it nearly eight hours in the car with him, so she figured she was good for now. "Why don't ya climb in the back and sleep?" Daryl looked at her as he unbuckled his seatbelt and reclined the seat back, putting his hands behind his head. Beth sighed and looked back at the seats. It looked so small, and dark. She shook her head and reclined her own seat back as far as it was go. While she was okay with being in the car, she didn't want to be back there alone.

She looked over at Daryl as she curled on her side facing him. "What was last night about?" She hasn't meant to blurt it out like that, but part of her was glad she did.

He looked over at her and snorted. "You needed to get warm."

Beth shook her head. "There are ways of getting warm without having sex," she pointed out. She was shaking from nerves, but she needed to get some answers out of him. "Is it because I'm the only woman around?"

"What? No." Daryl sat up and leaned over, opening the glove box and digging around.

"What are you doing?" Beth sat up and pulled her kneed to her chest.

"Looking for some smokes," he grunted.

Beth sighed and looked at him. "Why wouldn't you take your shirt off that first night?" Daryl froze for a half a second, but he went back to digging, swearing when he came up empty and slammed the glove box shut. He didn't answer her. "Daryl, talk to me." She felt the tears pricking at her eyes. She needed to know what she was to him. "I'm always afraid; I'm always fighting off a panic attack. But when you hold me…I don't feel like that. I can't keep going on like this. I need to know what's going on with us before I completely fall apart." She couldn't fight the tears anymore and she hated herself for it.

Daryl sat up and looked at her, those eyes boring right into her. "I ain't no good for ya, Beth." He rubbed his eyes. "That ain't ever gonna happen again, ya hear me?" She nodded her head and watched him lie back down and close his eyes. She bit her lip and turned her back on him, curling up and holding herself. She did her best to stay quiet as her emotions swamped her. Things went from bad to worse in the matter of a few seconds.

**Notes:**

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I wanted to get something up for you guys. Tomorrow I've got more time to work on things, so hopefully I'll get something better up.**


	6. Put the Light Back in Her Eyes

**This is another short one, but it has a juicy cliffhanger at the end. Don't worry another long chapter is coming up.**

Chapter Text

Put the Light Back in Her Eyes

Daryl woke to screaming. He shot up straight in his seat, crossbow raised and ready to fire. But there weren't any walkers, there was no threat. Beth was having a nightmare in the passenger's seat. He put his crossbow down and reached over, trying to shake her awake. If she didn't quiet down she was going to draw all of the walkers straight to them. He shook her shoulder. "Beth. Beth, wake up."

She shot up in the seat, drenched in sweat and gasping for air, tears streaming down her face. He hated seeing her like that, but other than fucking her, he didn't know what to do for her, and sex was off the table. She looked around, frantically taking in her surroundings. Daryl figured she'd calm down, go back to hating him, and go back to sleep. Beth bolted; she clawed at the door handle, nearly ripping it off as she tried to open the locked door. _Remember what happened when you assume, baby brother?_ Daryl pushed Merle's voice out of his head and unlocked the doors of the car. Beth nearly fell out as the door gave way to her full weight and she tore off through the woods. "Damn it." Daryl grabbed his crossbow and took off after her. He had no idea what had her so spooked, but he had a feeling they were going to have to ditch the car.

He followed her through the woods, dodging low branches and jumping over fallen logs. When he caught up to her Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop, turning her to face him. "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded. He looked at her, waiting for an answer but Beth didn't really look like she was all there. Her eyes wouldn't focus on anything and she kept trying to pull away from him, clawing at his hand with her free hand. Something was seriously wrong and Daryl didn't know what to do. He grabbed her face and made her look at him. "Beth, calm down, ain't nothin' gonna hurt ya."

Her eyes seemed to focus on his face, and slowly, she calmed down. "I'm gonna be sick." She ripped herself away from him and this time he let her. Beth fell to her knees on the wet ground and emptied what little she had in her stomach. Daryl frowned and knelt beside her, but he wasn't sure what he could do to help her. Beth's shoulders shook as dry heaves and sobs started to consume her. She gasped for air, her fingers digging into the wet earth.

He slowly reached out and rubbed her back. "Wanna tell me what happened back there?"

Shaking, Beth sat back on her knees and wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "Nightmare," she rasped out. Daryl frowned and scooped her up in his arms and started walking back to the car.

"You wanna talk about it?" He was almost hoping she would say no, but at the same time, he was curious what had made her react that way.

"You were with them."

Daryl didn't have to ask her to explain. She'd dreamt that he had been there while they had raped her, that he had helped them. A shrink would say it was because he fucked her and then just stopped and changed his behavior. _Way to go Dixon, you traumatized the poor thing._ He looked at Beth as they reached the car. She seemed to be okay. He sat her down on the passenger's seat and knelt in front of her, looking her over. She had some scratches across her arms from the branches she'd run into and she was shivering. Daryl reached into the back and pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He didn't know what else to do with her. She wouldn't even look at him. He guessed he deserved that though. "Think you can go back to sleep?" She shook her head, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.

Pushing to his feet with a sigh he walked around to the other side of the car. "Get in and shut the door." He climbed behind the wheel and started up the car. As soon as she was in and had the door closed he pulled out and started driving again. If she couldn't sleep they mine as well kill some time.

"Where are we going?" she asked. God she sounded horrible.

"Dunno," he answered.

"Why'd you do it?" He looked at her, wanting clarification. He'd done a lot of things lately. "Why'd you sleep with me?"

Daryl slammed on the breaks. He'd had enough of this beating around the bush shit. If she wanted to talk, then he'd talk. "You asked me to."

"Not the second time, then you run around here and you won't talk to me, you won't look at me, what the hell?"

Daryl looked at her, throwing the car into park. "Because I shouldn't have slept with you that first night." He ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus Beth. What do you want from me, I ain't gonna be your boyfriend."

Beth slapped him hard enough to send his head spinning and caused stars to explode in his eyes. "Don't talk to me like I'm some little girl," she snapped. "You lost that right after they raped me. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, but you can't sleep with me, you can't initiate sex with me and then go back to being a dick."

She was right, he knew she was right, and she was going to start to see through the lies he put in front of her. Daryl would never admit he was scared out loud, but he was. This little blonde thing was going to be the death of him because he knew there was something developing between them. "You do things to me," he whispered. She frowned and looked at him. "Things that haven't happened before." He looked her dead in the eyes. "You said you love me."

She bit her lip. "I do." She looked down biting her lip. "I know you don't, but I do."

"I never said I don't."


	7. Never Again

Broken Halo  
Chapter 7

"I never said I don't."

Beth stared at him, unable to believe the words that had just come out of his mouth. She wanted to believe it was just her emotions getting the better of her, that she wanted to see something that wasn't really there. But as she looked into his eyes, she realized that her body wasn't playing tricks on her. He really meant it. "Are you saying that you do?" She had to be sure. She had to hear it come from him.

Daryl looked away from her, his hand shielding his eyes from her view. "Yeah…I think I am." He slowly looked at her when she didn't say anything. "I do, Beth."

She smiled and leaned over across the seat and kissed him. He cupped her face, pulling her close, nearly into his seat. She was sliding her hand into his hair when tapping on the window pulled them apart. They looked through the window. "Oh my god…" Beth jumped out of the car and ran around, pulling Carl into a tight hug. "You're alive," she breathed as Daryl climbed out of the car and hugged Rick. Beth quickly hugged Michonne and Rick and looked at them. "I can't believe it."

Michonne smirked and crossed her arms. "Mhm, that's what we were thinking when we saw you two just now."

Beth blushed as Daryl put his arm around her waist. "It's none of our business," Rick said, trying to keep the peace. "Is the car running?" he asked.

"Yeah, don't know how much gas is left." Rick nodded and sighed. "We can probably make it to the next town." They all climbed back in the car. Beth curled against the door so she could look at the three in the back.

"What happened?" she asked.

Rick started to tell them the story about getting out of the prison and what had happened since then, including what happened with Joe's group in the house. "We saw them," Daryl grunted as he drove down the deserted road. "Killed 'em."

Rick frowned. "All of them?"

Daryl nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Why?"

Beth bit her lip and looked at Daryl. He looked at her, not sure if she wanted him to say anything. She looked back at the others and fidgeted in the seat. "Daryl and I…we got separated…a swarm attacked the house we were staying in and he told me to run for the road. They grabbed me…" She looked down, playing with her fingers. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about this or not. "They…they did _things_." The car fell silent as the weight of what she'd just said sunk in and Beth was suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "They found Daryl and brought him back, they didn't know we knew each other. When they brought me out for initiation…he killed them."

"Shit," Rick swore, running a hand over his head as he stared out of the window. Beth was shaking now, reliving the events in her head. Daryl reached over and took her hand, sensing her anxiety starting to build. She immediately calmed down when he touched her. Rick saw the events unfold in front of him and looked at Daryl.

"Are you alright, Beth?" Carl asked.

She smiled a little. "I still have nightmares…and panic attacks, but I'm okay." She looked back at him and smiled. "I missed you."

He smiled and nodded his head. "Missed you too."

By the time the sun was coming up they had made it to the next town. Daryl slowly pulled through it, looking around for a good place to hold up or sack when a bullet hit the hood of the car, ricocheting off of it. He swore and slammed on the breaks. "Get out slowly, and show me your hands."

Beth's eyes widened. "That's Maggie." She climbed out of the car and looked around. "Maggie?!"

"Beth?" Carol stepped out from one of the buildings as the others stepped out of the car. "Oh my god."

One by one, everyone stepped out from their hiding places with a few faced Beth didn't recognize. She ran to Maggie, throwing her arms around her. "Maggie," she started crying into her sister's shirt as she held onto her. Maggie petted her hair and soothed her. Beth broke down, emotions she'd been pushing away swarming to the surface.

Maggie frowned and looked at Rick. "What happened?" she asked.

Rick shook his head. "We just met up last night…Beth needs to tell you the story." He hugged Carol.

"Rick, you and Carol need to see this." She walked into the building she'd been hiding in and emerged again with Judith. Rick hit his knees as Carl took Judith from Carol and held her close.

Beth slowly pulled away from Maggie and looked at Daryl. He came to stand beside her and looked Maggie in the eyes. "She's been through shit, Mags, it ain't been good." Maggie nodded her head.

"Let's get you guys inside," Maggie said, leading them inside as Glenn made introductions. Apparently they had a genius with them now and need to get him to D.C. Maggie got Beth settled into a corner of the room and Daryl stood against the walls beside her, not wanting to be far from her sight. "What happened?" Maggie asked, kneeling in front of Beth. Beth shook as she told Maggie the story, hoping that she would never have to tell it again. Everyone that mattered knew, there was no reason to repeat it. Maggie swore as she stood up and started pacing. She stopped and looked at Daryl and then threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered.

Daryl nodded. "I'd give my life for hers," he stated simply. He sat on the floor beside Beth and she was instantly in his lap, clinging to him. Maggie gave him a look, opened her mouth to ask, but he just shook his head. "Later." She sighed, but nodded and backed off, leaving to go get food for them.

Beth looked up at him. "I can't believe we found them."

He sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, seems impossible." He looked down at her. "You really need to sleep."

"Don't go anywhere?"

He shook his head. "I ain't movin' from this spot." She nodded her head and curled herself into his lap, her head lying on his chest. She was out in a matter of minutes. He played with the ends of her hair as she slept. Maggie came back with Rick and Glenn an hour or so later, they all sat around him. "What?" he asked, keeping his voice down so he didn't wake Beth. She really needed the sleep.

"What's going on between you and my sister?" Maggie asked.

Daryl sighed and looked down at Beth's sleeping face. "I love her," he stated simply.

"As?" Glenn pressed.

Daryl glared at him. "She's mine. That clear enough?" Glenn sighed and ran a hand through his hair and looked at Maggie. "Look, I know I'm too old, too rough, not good enough, but I don't give a shit."

Maggie shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "She loves you?" Daryl nodded his head. Maggie nodded slowly and looked at him. "I'm not going to say I'm ecstatic about this, but…she deserves to love someone and have them love her." She smiled a little as Glenn's hand wrapped around hers. "Just know that if you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."

"Understood." He watched Maggie and Glenn leave, but Rick stayed. He looked at him. "What?"

Rick shook his head and smiled a little. "I always thought you two were good for each other."

"How's that?"

Rick looked at him. "She makes you stronger, makes you see the good in people, she does that to everyone she meets. But you make her stronger; you make her want to be stronger. You help each other." He rubbed his jaw. "It was hard to find that before the world went to shit, it's damn near impossible now. I'm not going to stop you two, not if you've found what should be impossible." He clasped Daryl on the shoulder. "Just take care of her."

Daryl nodded his head and looked back down at Beth. "Nothin's gonna happen to her again," he vowed.


	8. Chapter 8

Broken Halo

Chapter 8

Everything was starting to return to a semblance of normal for the group. Beth was starting to do better, she could handle being around other people the panic attacks had stopped, and she didn't flinch away when others touched her now. Well, she was better as long as Daryl was around. They could understand why too, he'd been the one who had saved her, she need to be close to him. They were in love too, that helped. Maggie kept looking over to where Beth was still asleep. Daryl had left about an hour ago to go hunting. He said he would be back before she woke up, but Maggie was starting to doubt that.

She sighed and looked at Glenn as they cleaned the guns they'd managed to collect since leaving the prison. "I'm worried about her," she told him.

Glenn looked over to where Beth was sleeping. He was pretty sure this was the longest she'd slept since they'd been reunited a week ago. He nodded his head and looked at his wife. "She's been through hell."

Maggie looked over when she heard Beth waking up. Her eyes scanned the room for Daryl and when she couldn't find him Maggie saw the panic setting in. She started shaking, her hands clutching at the blanket, trying to throw it off like it was choking her. She was starting to hyperventilate as she stood up, pacing back and forth. She gripped her hair and pulled. "Shit," Maggie whispered, rushing over to her, Glenn right behind her. "Beth, Beth, calm down, he's just hunting." Maggie pulled her into her arms and held her close.

She eased Beth to the ground as Glenn knelt beside them and rubbed her back. "Breathe Beth, just breathe, nice and slow." He coached her through it as they tried to calm her down. Maggie's heart was breaking as she held her sister in her arms. "That's it," Glenn whispered as her breathing started to return to normal. He looked up as Judith started crying then looked at Maggie. "Go, I got this." Maggie nodded her head and went to take care of the baby since Carol was on a run and Rick was with Daryl.

Glenn sat beside Beth as she calmed down, he handed her some water. "Thanks," she whispered, taking it from him. She took a long pull from it before handing it back. "I'm sorry."

Glenn shook his head. "Don't be. You're still adjusting and working through things. It's going to take time." He smiled a little. "We're all here for you." She looked up at him. "Promise."

She smiled a little and nodded her head but it slowly faded. "Will you stay with me? Until he gets back?"

Glenn put his arm around her. "I'm not going anywhere."

…

Daryl walked inside with Rick and the squirrels and rabbits they'd managed to get. He started towards Beth but Maggie intercepted him. "We need to talk." He nodded and passed the game off to Carl. "She freaked out this morning. Glenn managed to calm her down, he's with her now."

Daryl swore and ran a hand through his hair. He knew he'd been gone too long. "She alright?" he asked.

"For now. You can't do that again Daryl, she woke up and found you missing and just freaked."

Daryl nodded his head. "I'll just star taking her hunting with me."

"Is that a good idea?" Rick asked.

"Why the hell wouldn't it be?"

Rick sighed and looked at Daryl. "Don't take this the wrong way, but she's a little unstable right now, and with good reason. I get that, but what happens if you're out there and she freaks out? You can't calm her down and fight off any walkers she calls to you if that happens. You'd both be dead."

Daryl glared a little. "She don't freak out when I'm around. She'll be fine." He stalked off and found Beth, sitting beside Glenn and staring at her hands. "Hey girl." He sat beside her and looked at Glenn. "Thanks man." Glenn nodded and got up, kissing Beth's head before walking away. Daryl was pleased to see that he was taking on the brother-in-law role finally. He looked at Beth. "You okay?"

She nodded her head. "I hate making them worry," she mumbled. "I'm trying, I really am."

He sighed and pulled her onto his lap. "I know you are they know too." He nuzzled her head as she rested it against his chest. "Just gonna take time." She nodded her head a little. "I'm going to take you hunting with me from now on."

She looked up at him. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Gotta continue you're tracking lessons." He smiled a little and kissed her. He held her as she relaxed against him. He really needed to get her better. He hated seeing her like this.


	9. Chapter 9

Broken Halo

Chapter 9

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Michonne looked up as Rick came to sit beside her.

"What's up?" she asked.

Rick sighed and looked over at Beth and Daryl who were getting ready to go hunting. "I don't want her out there. Anything could happen. I know she's working through some shit, but if they get into a tight spot…" He trailed off, shaking his head. Too much could go wrong and Michonne understood that. "Do you think you could take her? Maybe help her work through some of her issues?"

Michonne nodded her head, looking over at the girl. "Yeah, I can do that." She got up as Daryl and Beth headed for the door. "Hold up you two." She walked over and stood in front of Daryl. "Let me take Beth for a while. I think I can help her out."

Daryl looked at Beth. He wasn't going to make the choice, it was up to Beth and Michonne respected that. Daryl wasn't a controlling man, he'd let her make up her own mind. She bit her lip but nodded her head, clearly nervous. He kissed her head. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

"Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too." He walked out after kissing her again.

Beth looked at Michonne. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, we're not staying here." She knew taking Beth out was basically doing what Rick didn't want, but she knew that if Beth stayed in this room for the rest of her life she was never going to work through anything. She put an arm around her shoulder and led her out of the building. "Don't worry; we're not going to go far." She led her outside before taking her sword out from its sheath on her back. "Here."

Beth took it looking wary. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

Michonne nodded to a lone walker wandering around not far off. "Take out some aggression." When Beth gave her a startled look Michonne just smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, anything goes wrong I'll be right here." Michonne watched her timidly walk up to the walker, the sword raised. She knew Beth wasn't going to be strong enough to take its head off, or any other appendage, but that's not what this was about. This was about picturing her attackers and letting out her anger and frustration on them.

Beth started hacking away at the walker, slicing it's tendons on its legs so it couldn't walk anymore. She just kept hitting it, and hitting it, and hitting it. When her arms grew too tired she pushed the blade through its head and collapsed onto the ground beside it, panting. Michonne slowly walked over a small smile on her face and approval in her eyes. "How did that feel?" she asked.

Beth looked up at her and smiled for the first time in days. "Really, really good," she admitted.

Michonne nodded approvingly and helped Beth up. They started walking, just around the perimeter. Every time a walker came close enough Beth killed it, every time she got a little happier. "You wanna talk about it?" Michonne asked after Beth killed her forth walker.

Beth frowned and stared at the ground as they walked. She shook her head. "I know everyone watches me, waiting for my next freak out. I can't help it, I just..." she sighed, and shook her head. "It feels like everything is shrinking, closing in on me, I can't breathe and my head goes light, and I just…I lose it." She looked up at Michonne. "I can't help it."

Michonne nodded her head. "We know that, and we don't blame you for that. You're working through some shit, we get that."

Beth frowned. "When Maggie came back from the Governor…she was depressed and her and Glenn fought, but it didn't take her this long to get over it. I feel like people look at me and just wish I was like Maggie, or you."

Michonne stopped and looked at her. "No one thinks that. You might not be the strongest physically, but emotionally you are."

"Doesn't feel like that."

Michonne shook her head, putting her arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk. "You are. It didn't take Maggie as long because Maggie wasn't raped. You were, more than once." She looked down at Beth. "You are strong Beth."

…

It went on for weeks. Every time Daryl went out hunting, Michonne and Beth walked the perimeter, going a little deeper into the woods each time. Most of the time they were silent, Michonne would watch as Beth killed walkers. If she wanted to talk then she started a conversation. Each day she was getting a little better and the group could see it; she was smiling more, laughing more. Everything was going great, until Carl and Rick came running in one morning.

"We gotta go." They started packing up things.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked as he helped Beth with their things.

Carl looked up, grabbing Judith. "There's a huge heard coming this way, they're going to blow right through this place." He handed Judith to Carol as walkers started to flood in through the doors.

Beth grabbed her knife and gun. People started shooting as they finished grabbing whatever they could carry. She threw her bag over her shoulder and buried her blade into the skull of a walker who was lunging for Daryl. She kicked it off her knife and ran out with him. They weren't just coming in through the front door, they were everywhere. There had to be just as many as there had been on her farm, maybe more. "Daryl," she called out, warning him of the walker he was about to run into.

He didn't hear her and she ran past him, pushing him out of the way and grabbing it by the front of what little shirt it still had and put a bullet in its brain pan. She was getting reckless, she knew that, but it felt so good to kill something. Every face was one of the men who had raped her, and every one of them needed to die. As the others ran through the open door she stood there and took shots, each one putting a bullet into another one of her attackers. She was forced to leave when Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her away. It didn't stop her though. Every walker she past that the other ran by, she stopped and either shot or stabbed. By the time they reached safety, she was covered in walker blood, but she felt damn good.


	10. Chapter 10

Broken Halo

Chapter 10

Daryl was pissed. She was either having a panic attack or attempting to get herself killed. He wasn't stupid enough to get into it with her while they were on the run. No, he waited until they'd stopped, until they were far enough away from the walkers before he spun on her, his eyes dark and serious as he glared at her. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he demanded.

She looked at him, glaring right back, not appreciating being yelled at. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

He rolled his eyes. "The hell you don't. You tryin' to get yourself killed?"

She crossed her arms, raising her chin defiantly. "I was killing walkers, maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought that's what we did now." Her eyes narrowed and he knew she was going to deliver a low blow. "Or would you rather shoot one up against a tree and use it for target practice again?"

He growled and stepped up closer, glaring down at her. "That was one walker, not a whole damn herd."

She glared right back at him, not baking down. He didn't like this new Beth, not one bit. "You all wanted me to get over my shit, guess what? I'm fuckin' over it."

He stared down at her, clenching his fists. He wanted to punch something. Mainly Rick, this was his fault. If he hadn't sent her out with Michonne this wouldn't have happened. "You're actin like a dumb bitch. Get your head outta your ass and see that you can't fuckin' do shit like that."

"Okay, that's enough," Rick interjected as they watched Beth's hand fly back to slap him. Glenn grabbed her wrist and around the waist, hauling her back and away from Daryl. Rick glared at Daryl and pushed on his chest, making him step back. "We need to talk, now." Daryl let him lead him away as Glenn tried to calm Beth down. "You can't yell at her like that."

"The fuck I can't. You saw her, she's gonna get herself killed," Daryl snapped.

Rick nodded his head. "I know that, but you gotta take it easy. You're gonna make her shut down again." Daryl huffed and started pacing. "Look, I'm not saying she's right, going crazy like that, but you gotta understand, she's still working through some shit."

Daryl turned and glared at him. Rick might be his best friend but he was pushing it. "This is your fault. You realize that right?" When Rick gave him that confused, pissed off look Daryl nodded his head. "If you would have let me take her hunting instead of sending her off with Michonne, she wouldn't be going all Kill Bill on the walkers."

Rick glared at him, getting in his face. Yeah, they were best friends, but even best friends threw punches sometimes. "I couldn't risk your life by sending her out there with you. What if she had a freak out and you all got bit? I can't lose you and Maggie would never forgive me if she got bit." He backed off a bit with a sigh. "Sending her with Michonne was the best choice."

Oh, now that was the wrong fucking thing to say. Daryl hauled back and punched him. "Yeah, that's the right call. Now instead of freaking out and just needing me to calm her down she needs to kill walkers and doesn't think about getting bit." Daryl grabbed his crossbow and stalked off. "Goin' huntin'."

…

Beth was glaring at his back as he stalked off. She was pissed him for yelling at her, pissed at him for punching Rick. She knew Rick was coming to talk to her next, Glenn was already trying to but she was ignoring him. What did they want from her? Did they want her to go back to being like she was at the prison? That wasn't going to happen. That couldn't happen. Not after what had happened. They could either have her with panic attacks, or they could have her killing walkers. There was no in between, not anymore.

Rick walked over and sighed. "I got this, Glenn." Glenn nodded and kissed her head before walking off. Rick sat down beside her and sighed, wiping blood from his lip. "He's got one hell of a right hook." Beth rolled her eyes. "Beth, what happened?" Rick asked.

"I see them, in the walker's faces. I don't see walkers, I see those men." She looked at him, stared right into his eyes. "Every walker I see is just one of them." She swallowed down the sob and fought back the tears. She couldn't be weak, not anymore; she wouldn't live if she was still weak. "I know he's pissed off, and I know it sounds stupid, but this is what you get. You're either going to get me freaking out, or you're going to get me killing walkers."

Rick sighed and nodded his head. "You can't go off like that though. That wasn't just dangerous, but it could have gotten us all in trouble." He looked at her, giving her his stern father look. "You've got to be careful."

Beth nodded her head, staring down at the ground. She couldn't do anything right, could she? She heard Rick get up and leave as people started to set up camp for the night. She just sat there, staring at the ground. When Daryl came back he didn't say anything to her, didn't come to her. She knew he was pissed off at her, but she thought after he'd gotten back from hunting he'd be in a better mood, at least enough to talk to her. When he laid down on the other side of camp she knew she'd really fucked up. She felt her emotions leaving her as she surrendered to the darkness that was taking over. She curled up, not caring that she was cold, not caring that the fire was so far away, not caring that everyone was whispering about her. Not caring that Daryl was mad enough at her to not want to even look at her. She shut her eyes and fell asleep, tears slipping from her eyes.

…

"Do you think we can trust it?" Daryl asked, looking at the building behind the fence. They'd seen the signs for Terminus and thought it was the best idea at the moment. They promised safety, and right now, that's what they needed. They needed somewhere safe so he and Beth could work through their bullshit.

Rick sighed. "I don't know, but we don't have much of a choice." He glanced over his shoulder at Beth who was leaning against a tree. She'd been throwing up lately. He figured it was because she wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping. Her body was yelling at her. "We gotta get somewhere safe enough to get her out of whatever's going on."

Daryl nodded his head and sighed. "Well, let's go." They made their way into the small station slowly, looking around. For a place that promised safety there weren't many people around. Rick led them until they found an older looking woman standing over a grill, cooking meat. There were a few people sitting around at tables eating.

"Welcome to Terminus," she greeted, smiling at them. "Big group, have you been traveling long?" she asked as she started to line up plates.

Rick nodded his head. "Yeah, we have."

She smiled. "Well I'm Mary, this is Gareth, he's in charge." She smiled as Gareth shook Rick's hand.

"Welcome to Terminus."

Rick nodded. "Thanks. I'm Rick; this is my son Carl, Daryl, Beth, her sister Maggie, Maggie's husband Glenn, Sasha, Bob, Tara, Rosita, Abraham, Eugene, and Michonne."

Gareth nodded and greeted them all. "Well, go ahead and eat, there are rooms anywhere. If they're empty, they're yours." He smiled before whispering something to Mary. He smiled at them again and walked off.

Daryl followed Rick to a table and they all sat down to eat. He noticed Beth hadn't taken a plate. It was starting to worry him. He regretted yelling at her, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize, he couldn't even bring himself to talk to her. She'd shut down again and he knew it was his fault. He turned his eyes away from her and sighed, picking at his food. After they ate they were showed to the apartment style rooms. Daryl watched Beth walk into one and close the door behind her. He sighed, going into his own room and closed the door.

…

Beth crept around Terminus. She couldn't find Maggie, Glenn, Abraham, no one but Rick, Carl, Michonne, and Daryl who were sitting outside. Something wasn't right. She'd had a bad feeling ever since they'd walked through the gate. Something was going on and she was determined to find out what it was. They'd been through enough shit already, if something was going on, they needed to get out before the shit hit the fan. She crept around a building, trying to keep as quiet as possible, trying to go unnoticed. She saw a cadge with what looked like carcasses inside of it. Slowly she walked over and looked inside. She stared in horror as she realized it wasn't deer carcasses lying on the ground surrounded by flies. They were human bodies that had been disemboweled and had the flesh cut away. Her stomach churned as she emptied what acid and water she had onto the ground.

She gripped the fence as she realized what they'd been serving on the grill yesterday, what they had all eaten. This place was sick. She needed to find Rick, needed to tell him what was going on. They needed to find the rest of their group and get out. Now. She stood up and screamed when a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm encircled her waist, pinning her arms against her sides. She struggled as she was dragged away.

…

Daryl eyed everyone closely. Something wasn't right. They hadn't seen anyone else since the night before when they'd gone to bed. Beth was missing and she wasn't in her room, he'd checked that morning. He'd wanted to talk to her, he missed her. He looked around closely. That was when he noticed it. One of the men who was sitting a few tables away had Hershel's watch, the one he'd given to Glenn. He tapped Rick on the shoulder, nodded over. Everything went to shit from there. Rick grabbed him around the neck and demanded where they're people were.

They were chased by bullets until they were cornered. Daryl glared up at Gareth as he ordered them into a train car. He followed Rick and slowly walked inside the dimly lit container. As the door slammed shut he started to worry about Beth and where she was, what had happened to her. "Rick?" Glenn and the others walked into the light from the other side of the container. Daryl's eyes searched for her, but she wasn't there.

"Beth?" Maggie asked. Daryl shook his head. They didn't know where she was and he didn't like not knowing. Maggie hugged Glenn tightly as they all assumed the worst. Daryl growled and punched the wall. He'd waited too long. If he would have gotten over his fucking pride a day ago she'd at least be with him, trapped, but at least he would know where she was.

…

Beth glared as Gareth walked in. She'd been locked into a room, away from the others. She'd seen them getting chased around by gunfire, seen them get locked in the train car. "What are you going to do to them?" she demanded. "Why am I here?" she didn't understand why she was the only one who hadn't been locked away with the others.

Gareth smirked and walked over to her, pinning her to the wall. "I kept you here because you're very pretty, or you will be once you get cleaned up." He smirked, his eyes running up and down the length of her body. Beth shivered and tried to shrink back into the wall. She'd seen that look on a man's face before. She could feel her walls closing in around her, could feel the air being choked from her lungs as her throat tightened up. Fear and panic started to race through her and she started shaking. She was going to freak out again. She could feel it coming. She tried to push her emotions away, tried to close everything up, tried to shut down. "I'm going to kill your friends, I'm going to eat them, and then I'm going to make you mine." He smirked and pushed off the wall, leaving her there as she gasped for air, she couldn't get enough in.

He walked out, closing the door behind him and she thought through the panic attack, forced herself to look around. She had to find a way out of here. She had to get them all out. They couldn't stay here. She couldn't let her family, her friends, couldn't let Daryl die. She couldn't let him do to her what Joe and his men had done. She wouldn't survive it this time. She started looking around for anything, anything that could help her get out. She looked out the window. It wasn't that far of a drop, she could break the glass, slip out, she could get them out. She just had to wait for the right moment. It would help if she had a weapon. She started to put her plan into action as she fought off the panic attack with sheer will power. She wasn't going to be weak, not anymore. This time, she was going to save them.


	11. Chapter 11

Broken Halo

Chapter 11

Beth slowly crept through the building, holding Judith close. She was just happy the baby was asleep and she was with her, not locked in the train car with the others. Everyone was asleep as far as she could tell. She was sure there were guards somewhere, but it was dark, the clouds blocked the moon and the stars. It would be easy for her to slip unnoticed in the shadows. She slipped through them, using them to mask her as she made her way to the train car. She'd managed to find a led pipe that she was going to have to use for a weapon if anyone found her. She hid in the shadow of a building and peeked around, the train car was right there. She just needed to get to it. She looked around; making sure no one was watching her, making sure no one would see if her she stepped out. When she didn't see anyone, she slowly stepped out from the shadows and made her way to the car. She quickly ran up the steps and opened the latch keeping the door sealed shut. She could hear them moving around inside.

"Rick?" she called out softly, letting him know that it was her, just in case they had their own plan of attack ready.

"Beth?" he heard him call out. She heard Maggie and Daryl whispering inside.

She smiled and started to slide the door open and handed Judith to him. "I'm gonna get yo—" She was cut off when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her from the steps. She landed hard on her back, the air rushing from her lungs.

Gareth was standing over her, smirking darkly as his men stood at the door with guns. "So, you thought you'd sneak away in the middle of the night?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. "Nice try little girl, but we've been following you since you slipped out of the window." He turned his head and looked at the men behind him. "Bring them. All of them." Beth cried out as Gareth fisted her hair in his hand pulled her up, dragging her behind him as he led them back inside.

"Let her go," Maggie demanded from behind them.

Gareth smirked at her as they led them inside to a dimly lit room and threw Beth into the middle of the floor. "Looks like your sister is worried about you. Maybe you should have thought about that before you tried to escape." He looked at his men. "Put them on their knees, execution style. Put the baby in that room for now."

"Don't kill them," Beth spat, jumping up and lunging at Gareth. He caught her and roughly grabbed her wrists, forcing them behind her back.

He smirked down at her. "A wild cat huh? I'm going to enjoy taming you." He pushed her back into one of his men who caught her around the waist, pinning her arms against her sides. "I'm not going to kill them, but you need to be punished for trying to break them out. They're simply here to see what we do to those who break the rules." He looked back at the group, making sure barrels of guns were pressed firmly to their heads before he looked back at Beth.

She saw it coming but couldn't get away, not while she was being held. His fist flew at her face and her head snapped to the side, stars dancing in front of her eyes. She slowly turned her head back and glared at him. He could do what he wanted to her as long as he didn't touch her family. He smirked when she glared back at him. "The tough act is admirable, but by the time I'm done with you, you're going to be begging for death." He grabbed the pipe she'd had earlier and swung it. She cried out as it collided with her stomach and she threw up.

"You son of a bitch," Daryl growled. Her eyes flew to his as he tried to move. The man who had the gun against his head knocked him in the head with the butt of his gun. Daryl growled and lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

Gareth looked between the two of them before he started laughing. "Oh, this is much better." He nodded at the man who was holding a gun to Daryl. He hauled Daryl up and forced him to the center of the room while the man holding Beth pulled her back and out of the way. "Lovers," Gareth sneered, looking at Beth. "This is much better than marking up that pretty face." He laughed as he tossed the pipe into the air before catching it again. "Let's see…what to hit first?"

Beth struggled against the man holding her. "Don't you touch him you sick bastard."

Gareth's cruel eyes flew to them. "Shut her up." A greasy hand covered her mouth as Gareth swung the pipe. She screamed behind the hand as Daryl doubled over, the pipe most likely cracking his ribs at the very least bruising them. Over and over again Gareth hit him with fists, kicked him with feet, and drove a pipe into his body. Tears were streaming down her face as she saw all of the blood, heard his grunts of pain. She struggled harder; she could feel the man's grip slipping. She didn't care what happened to her but he wasn't allowed to die. She didn't think, she couldn't think, not when Daryl's body hit the ground. She opened her mouth, slipped it over the hand and bit down hard enough to draw blood. The man holding her cried out, throwing her away from him and she used the momentum to lunge herself at Gareth, tackling him to the ground.

Everything happened so fast after that. A fight broke out, gunshots rang through the room and bodies fell. She didn't pay attention. Her hands went to Gareth's throat, trying to choke the life out of him. He growled and backhanded her, knocking her off of him. She slowly got up but Gareth was faster. His still toed boot collided with her stomach, sending her rolling a few feet. She groaned, lifting her head up. She saw it then. "I'm going to enjoy killing you. Maybe I'll fuck you first, make him watch while I do it," Gareth sneered as he walked towards her above the fighting going on around them. She started to crawl, pretending to get away from him. He just laughed and followed her. Beth crawled until she was over it. "Would you like that?" he asked, his tone mocking. "Getting fucked by a real man while your lover watches?"

Beth wrapped her hands around the gun and moved quickly, pointing it at her. "No one is raping me ever again." She squeezed the trigger and watched as the blood pooled in the middle of Gareth's head before his dead body hit the ground. That's where the fighting ended. She looked over at Daryl. He was trying to sit up, coughing up blood. She scrambled to her feet and ran to him. "Maggie," she cried out.

Maggie and Carol were there in seconds, pulling his shirt up and looking at all of the cuts on his skin. Other people from Terminus showed up to see what was going on, the ones that couldn't fight. Rick demanded one of them bring any medical supplies they had. Within minutes it was put in front of Beth and she opened it up, handing things to Maggie and Carol as they asked for them, her other hand wrapped around Daryl's.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Beth shook her head, tears leaking from her eyes. "You're gonna be the last man standing, remember?" She smiled and kissed him. "We're gonna take care of you." He weakly nodded his head as Maggie and Carol cleaned his wounds and bandaged him up. Beth refused to leave his side, even as Rosita wanted to look her over. She just couldn't leave him. They got a stretcher from somewhere and Abraham and Rick got him onto it. She followed them, staying right by his side as they carried him to an empty bedroom. She climbed into bed beside him, making sure she wasn't close enough that she could hurt him. She fell asleep, string at his face and praying he made it through the night.

…

Daryl woke slowly. His head was throbbing and his side hurt like a bitch. But he was warm, and when he opened his eyes she saw her pale blonde hair. Slowly he reached up and ran his fingers through it, thinking she must have brushed it recently because there were no tangles. She picked her head up and looked at him with those storm grey baby blues. "You're awake," she spoke softly.

He smiled a little and nodded. "Just woke up."

She sat up, realizing she was putting pressure on his side. "Do you need me to get someone?" He shook his head and gently pulled her back down, missing her warmth. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Me too." He nuzzled her hair. He'd forgotten how good it felt to hold her in his arms. He was an idiot for yelling at her. He saw that now. "What've I missed?"

She sighed and kissed his chest. "Rick and Abraham took over. They're turning this place into a true safe haven." She smiled a little. "They want to wait out the winter before getting Eugene to D.C., Rick's talking about going with them."

Daryl nodded his head. "Makes sense." He sighed and winced. Deep breaths were not a good idea right now. "Be close to the action, closer to the cure."

Beth nodded her head. "Daryl?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you still mad at me?"

He stared down at her, gently brushed his thumb over the bruise on her face from where she'd been hit. "Not anymore." He cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss. He wasn't going to let her go again. Not anymore. He was done fucking around. He was done acting like he couldn't be happy. Whatever shit she needed to work through, she could work through it, if that meant killing walkers that was fine, he'd just have to be there to have her back. She was his and he was going to make sure she stayed protected.

She smiled and kissed him back, tears slowly falling from her eyes. He kissed them away before someone knocked softly on the door. "Come in," she called out.

Rick poked his head in, making sure he was awake before he stepped in, Carl behind him carrying a tray of food. "Thought you two would like to eat."

"Thanks," Daryl gritted out as he forced himself to sit up. Fuck he hurt. "Ass-Kicker okay?" he asked.

Rick nodded. "Carol has her, she's fine, not a scratch on her." Daryl nodded his head as he slowly ate. He frowned when Beth didn't reach for the food. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her eat.

"Baby, you gotta eat," he told her.

Beth shook her head. "I'm not feeling good right now," she told him. "I'll eat later." Daryl sighed but nodded his head. She didn't leave his side though as they talked over what they were going to do with the people they hadn't killed. Most of them just wanted to live and do what they were told, but a few were going to cause problems. They decided to put everyone on probation for now. Daryl finished eating and thanked them before they left. He lay back against the pillows, pulling Beth close.

…

Beth was on her way to the kitchen to see what they were having for dinner. Daryl was doing better, it had been a few weeks and he was moving better. She just liked to do things for him, and they had just gotten done making love, she was planning on getting food and taking it back for Daryl when the pain over took her. It was white hot, blinding her, paralyzing her. She hit her knees, gripping her stomach as she screamed. She didn't know where it was coming from or what it was. She could hear everyone running towards her to see what was going on. Daryl reached her first, hitting his knees beside her. "Beth? Beth what's going on?"

She shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. She hadn't been feeling well, they all knew that, but this sudden attack came out of nowhere. She didn't know what was going on. He moved to pick her up but noticed the blood on her jeans. "Fuck, Beth."

Maggie ran to her and stopped, staring in horror at the blood. "Move," she ordered. She can Carol helped get Beth and up and back to the room, slamming the door shut behind them. Beth was burning up she could feel the sweat on her face as whatever was wrong with her consumed her. She had cramps that were killing her, her back hurt, and her stomach was rioting inside of her. She heard Maggie swear as Carol pulled her jeans off. She heard the door open. "Daryl, for your own good, stay the fuck out. Sasha, Rosita, I need hot water, now and towels, Glenn, bring me that red bag from the medical room."

"What's going on?" Beth asked Carol as she knelt in front of her.

"Easy, Beth," she soothed. Beth started to hyperventilate, she didn't know what was going on and no one would tell her. "It's going to be okay sweetheart." Beth could see all of the blood on Carol's hands as Maggie came back with the things she'd asked for. Beth tuned them out and stared at the ceiling as the pain ripped through her.

Maggie helped her sit up slowly. "Beth, sweetheart, take this, it'll ease the pain." Beth swallowed whatever Maggie put on her tongue and lay back down. She could hear Maggie and Carol whispering something but they weren't talking loud enough. Before she had time to demand an answer Maggie was digging around and pulling out one of Daryl's shirts. They helped Beth out of her shirt and into Daryl's but didn't give her any jeans to put back on.

Beth stared at her sister as Carol cleaned up and left the room, still not letting Daryl in. "Maggie, what happened?" she demanded.

Maggie shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. "Beth…did you know you were pregnant?" she asked. Beth stared at her in horror as she realized what had happened. She slowly shook her head. She'd had no idea, she'd been throwing up, but they had all assumed that was because she hadn't been eating and her body was trying to tell her something was wrong. Something was wrong…just not what they thought. "I'll let Daryl in." Maggie kissed her head and slowly walked out. Beth turned onto her side and curled up, pulling the blankets over her as tears slipped from her eyes. She did the math in her head, it had to be Daryl's, if it had been one of her rapists' she would have known already, she would have been getting bigger.

…

Maggie walked out and closed the door. Daryl could see the tears in her eyes. "What the fuck is going on?" he demanded. He was pissed. Why wouldn't they let him see her?

Maggie shook her head and took a breath. "Beth was pregnant, she just miscarried." Tears slipped from her eyes. "It was yours; it couldn't have been those men's. We would have known."

Daryl let those words sink in, understood why they hadn't let him in. Anger rioted inside of him like a fire tornado, consumed him. "Son of a bitch," he swore, lashing out and punching a whole clean through the drywall. He ignored the blood as tears stung his eyes. He turned around and stalked out. He walked outside, grabbing something heavy on his way and made his way to the woods. He spent an hours, looking for walkers and killing them, violently, brutally. It was nearly dark when he heard someone coming to find him.

Rick walked up slowly. "Daryl, you have to go see her."

Daryl nodded his head, staring at the dead walker at his feet. She would have had a full term pregnancy if that sadistic fucker hadn't taken a lead pipe to her stomach. He wanted to kill him all over again. He didn't say anything to Rick as he handed the pipe he'd been using over to him and made his way back to Beth. He slowly walked inside the room and kicked off his boots and pulled his bloody clothes off before he slipped under the blankets with her.

She turned into him, burying her head against his chest. Her face was soaked, she was still crying. "I'm so sorry, Beth," he whispered into her hair, pulling her closer, crushing her against him.

"I didn't even know," she sobbed, wiping her eyes even though it didn't help. "How could I not know?"

He shook his head and kissed her head. "None of us did." He took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. "This is not your fault and I don't want you thinking it is." She nodded her head weakly. "Good." He pulled her close and just held her, running his hand through her hair, up and down her back as she cried against him. "We can try again, once things are better. We'll try again, baby, I promise." She nodded her head against him again. He just held her close.


	12. Chapter 12

Broken Halo

Chapter 12

Winter was over and they were on the road to D.C. According to Abraham they would be there by noon the next day so they stopped and made camp for the night. Beth and Daryl were doing better than anyone had expected. The first week after the miscarriage had been hard. Neither one of them ate, they hardly slept, and they never left their room. Slowly they started to piece each other together again and slowly, throughout the winter they got better. They were more affectionate towards each other than the group had ever seen them. They were inseparable, and they had noticed that Beth had been putting on more and more weight, getting back to her healthy self. They still had their bad days and nights though. Every now and then the whole camp would be woken to Beth's horrifying screams as he relived the rape and the miscarriage. Daryl would eventually get her to calm down but no one ever mentioned it. They knew she was getting better, that's all they cared about. They all sat around the fire and speculated about what they would do if they could actually get back to a world without walkers, without the threat of death every day. Daryl and Beth didn't say anything, but they knew what they would do. They'd have a family.

When Beth rested her head on his shoulder he kissed her head. "Let's go to our tent," she whispered to him. He nodded his head and helped her up. They said their goodnights and made their way to their tent. Beth climbed in and Daryl closed the door behind him as they lay down against the blankets. Beth didn't say anything to him, and he didn't question her when she leaned over him and kissed him, running her hands up his chest under his shirt. They hadn't had sex since they'd been back at the morgue, things had gotten too complicated and she had needed time to heal. He never pushed it, knowing that she'd come to him when she was ready. He nipped at her bottom lip, sucking on it as he gently rolled them, putting her small body under his.

Beth helped him pull her shirts over her head and toss them to a corner of the tent. His vest and shirt went next. He kissed a path over her jaw and down her neck, passing over her collar bone and over the flat plane of her belly. She arched under him, moaning softly as she ran her fingers through his hair, her short nails scraping over his scalp in the most delicious way. He hummed against her as he popped the button on her jeans and eased the zipper down. She arched her hips as he pulled them and her panties down her legs. He made slow, passionate love to her that night. The kind that had them clinging to each other, the kind that slicked their skin with sweat and had them gasping out each other's names as they came together and exploded into particles in the air. He held her close as she slept against him, playing with her hair and running his hands up and down her back.

The next day they walked into the city, it looked like everywhere else they'd been—full of walkers. It didn't look like there was living soul in the city. Carefully, attracting as little attention as possible, they made their way to the White House. Eugene was certain there was a special facility set up there where he could work on the cure. They spent three days clearing it out; the first day was just clearing out the first floor and barricading a room so they could sleep. The next two days were spent clearing the rest out. By the time they were dragging out bodies to burn they had a home again and while Eugene worked on a cure, the rest of them worked on a perimeter to keep other walkers out. It wasn't as safe as the prison, but once they'd cleared out the yard and sealed up the gate, they were as protected as they were going to get. They started to get back to their lives, like they had been at the prison. Rick and Carl started looking for the best soil so they could start growing again. As Beth and Daryl looked around that night, they realized they were going to be okay.

…

_Five years later…_

Daryl groaned when he felt her jumping up and down on the bed. The sun wasn't even up yet, but she was and that meant mommy and daddy had to be up too. He sat up slowly and pulled the jumping girl into his arms. "What are you doing awake little girl?" he asked, still groggy from sleep.

She giggled and looked up at him. "Uncle Rick said to wake you up."

He rubbed his eyes and sighed, looking over at the clock. It was only six. What the hell was Rick doing up so early? He climbed out of bed. "Where are you going?" Beth asked, rolling over and sitting up.

"Apparently Rick is here." He put Angel down on the bed and let her cuddle up with Beth. "I'll be right back." Beth nodded her head, pulling the covers up over herself and Angle. Daryl walked out to the living room of their apartment. Rick and Carl were sitting there with Abraham, Maggie, and Glenn, all of the state officials, minus Carl who just gave his input and helped out. "There better be a good reason why you're all here at six on a fuckin' Saturday," he growled out.

Rick smirked and looked at Carl. "You wanna tell him?"

Carl grinned and looked at Daryl. "We got a report this morning. The last walker died in California and power has been restored, country wide."

Daryl stared at him. So they did have a good reason for waking him up. "That's…awesome."

Abraham nodded his head. "So it's time for you to uphold your end of the deal."

Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. He cut it from time to time, but Beth liked it long. "Guess so." He'd made a deal with Rick three years ago, when a semblance of government was getting restored. Rick took over at president, everyone deciding he was the best for the job, but Rick wanted Daryl to step in as his vice president. Daryl had told him that until his wife and daughter were safe from walkers, he wasn't going to concern himself with anything but keeping them safe. He had owed that much to them after everything they'd been through. He'd almost lost Beth the night she gave birth to Angel. He looked at Rick. "I gotta wear a suit?" he asked.

They all laughed and Rick shook his head. "No, don't think I'd like seeing you in one." He smirked a bit and clapped Daryl on the shoulder. "We'll make the announcement at breakfast."

Daryl nodded his head and showed them out before making his way back to the bedroom. Angel was passed out again in the middle of the bed. He slipped under the sheet and smiled when she curled against him. "What's going on?" Beth asked, automatically fearing the worst.

"The last walker died, time for me to keep my word." He sighed and shook his head, looking at her. "Don't think I'm cut out for this."

Beth smiled and leaned over their daughter. "You are, you've been Rick's right hand man since we left my daddy's farm. He trusts you, we all do, and you make the right calls. You're more than cut out for this."

"I'm just a dumb redneck. Never even finishing high school."

"No," Beth said shaking her head. "You're not a dumb redneck. You're my husband, the father of my child, and the man who has kept us both safe. You'll be fine." He nodded a little and bent his head to kiss her. Maybe she was right. Maybe he would do an okay job. He sighed as he held his girls close to him. He knew one thing, if nothing else. He loved his life.

The End.


End file.
